Eli ben Amram and his companions : Jewish leadership in the eleventh-century Mediterranean Basin / Elinoar Baraket.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baraket, Elinoar, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jewish leadership--Egypt--Cairo--History--11th century.

Jewish leadership.

Jews--Egypt--Cairo--History--11th century.

Jews.

Jews--Egypt--Cairo--Politics and government--11th century.

Fusṭāṭ (Cairo, Egypt)--History--11th century.

Fusṭāṭ (Cairo, Egypt).

Eli ben Amram--Correspondence.

Eli ben Amram.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (331 pages) : illustrations, map

Place of Publication:

Brighton, [England] ; Portland, Oregon ; Toronto, [Ontario] : Sussex Academic Press, 2017.

Summary:

"Eli Ben Amram's correspondence, discovered in the Genizah of Cairo, consists of his communications with Jewish figures from Egypt, Palestine, Babylon and Spain. As the Fustat community leader during the second half of the eleventh century his writings reveal not only the political situation pertaining to the Mediterranean Basin at the time, but are unique with regard to how Jewish society fared and functioned. He was a determined writer in that he expressed himself well on many topics and wrote up his plans for his community, as well as his reservations, in dozens of letters, court documents and poems, all of which were revealed in the Genizah. Although not a senior Jewish leader, he was head of the Fustat community in Egypt - the most important in the Jewish hemisphere during the eleventh century. He had been appointed by higher-ranked leaders, such as the Gaon from the Palestine Yeshiva, and by wealthy Jewish courtiers from Cairo. Ben Amram's local decision-making was dependent in some ways on the policies adopted by these leaders, but in turn they were aware of his key role and influence as leader of the wealthy Fustat community. His wide-ranging correspondence sheds light not only on Jewish leadership at this time, but on the prevailing circumstances under which Judaism was able to flourish"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-78284-177-6